On February 15th, a cry for help was heard over social media. Right in our backyard in Paterson, NJ, a home claimed to be overwhelmed with fifty cats. The rescue organization, Homeless Tails of Wayne, answered the plea and soon realized the gravity of the situation. The home, in deplorable condition, was overrun with over 140 cats. Homeless Tails, along with Animal Control, took on the major task of reaching out to local rescues and shelters to help. The initial evacuation was set to remove all of the kittens, the pregnant cats, the nursing mother cats and those in need of immediate medical attention. The majority of the medical cases were taken in by FOWA Rescue and Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc.
S.T.A.R.T. and many other local rescues have stepped in to try to help these wonderful four-legged souls. To date, about ninety-three cats have been removed from the premises and are acclimating to foster care. All the cats that have been successfully removed have been taken in by local rescues and shelters where they are receiving any necessary medical treatment and will eventually be available for adoption. But there are still more who need saving. The remainder of the cats cannot be pulled out until there is a firm commitment from a rescue organization to help with fostering. Every cat in this situation deserves a chance for a new loving home.
When you adopt a single cat, you make a difference in the lives of many. Please help us to help them, one cat at a time. This rescue effort is not complete until every cat is removed and in a new loving home. The shelters and rescues that lent a hand with this rescue are in need of any and all donations in the form of either supplies or finances. See the websites or Facebook page of these organizations for more information and to check out their respective Chewy and Amazon wish lists. Help were you can!
Homeless Tails – www.homelesstails.com
Save the Animals Rescue Team – www.startpets.net
St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center – www.sthuberts.org
FOWA Rescue – www.fowarescue.org
Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. – www.rbari.org
Newark Humane – www.ahscares.org/newark/
West Milford Animal Shelter -www.westmilfordanimalshelter.org
Feral Cats of Bergen County- www.feralcatsofbergencounty.com
Bide A Wee of Long Island - www.bideawee.org
Claws, Closter – www.clawsadopt.org
S.T.A.R.T., Save the Animals Rescue Team founded as a non-profit organization by Annette Lamberti and is the original S.T.A.R.T., in North New Jersey. S.T.A.R.T., is a humane organization whose mission is to rescue stray, abandoned, injured, and abused animals, in northern New Jersey. The animals rescued are examined by a veterinarian, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and placed in one of our volunteer foster homes. Since S.T.A.R.T. does not have a shelter facility, these animals remain in our foster care until they are adopted.
Adoption Event
Saturday April 13th
Cats and More Cats!!
Petco Totowa 11am to 2pm
Check out our
Pets for Adoptions
Get Pre-Approved
PLEASE ALTER YOUR COLONIES
PLEASE Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) your colonies and strays you feed. Remember kittens can get pregnant at 4 months, puppies can get pregnant by 6 months old. If you feed an outside cat colony, please seek out help to TNR (trap, neuter and return) while your colony is small. Colonies grow to 20 – 30 cats in a blink of an eye. Cats that have been TNR'd have what we call an ear tip (their left ear is clipped to be flat - not rounded like the right ear) so if you are feeding a cat that does not have an ear tip, please take the cat to be altered at your vet or one of the low-cost facilities in the area that help to reduce overpopulation. Please, please, please get them altered before the next litter. Don’t wait until you see kittens! If your neighbors feed, please let them know the cats need to be altered asap ! If
Share the Love this Month with Nico
Our Special Needs Kitty
Nico is a beautiful black and white tuxedo girl. Born in mid July, 2022, her “half moustache” is only part of her cuteness. She loves to look at you with her soulful eyes and will even talk to you. She is full of life and full of personality. You could say that this little one wants to be your best friend. The perfect companion for those lazy nights on the couch. At first glance, Nico looks like any ordinary cat, but in fact she has something very special about her. Nico is paralyzed.
Nico was found in the street, crying out for someone to come to her aid. A young girl picked her up and reached out to S.T.A.R.T. for guidance. We brought Nico in and immediately rushed her to the vet. The heart of a rescuer is strong but seeing any animal in a helpless state can break you. After an exam and x-rays, we received both good news and bad news. The good news was that nothing was broken. The bad news was ………. that nothing was broken. Nothing broken means there is nothing to repair. She most likely has suffered from a ruptured disk which has left her with no mobility or feeling in her back end.
You may think that a cat in her condition will never live a full life. All you have to do is meet Nico and you realize just how full of life she is. She loves to play, she loves to eat, and she absolutely loves to be loved! Of course, her maintenance is a little more involved than a regular house cat. Her bladder needs to be expressed 3-4 times daily. A fairly easy task but keeping her on a schedule is key. We are looking to find her a forever home with someone who has experience in paralysis and what Nico’s limitations and capabilities may be. She has truly opened our eyes to what is important in life.
Nico is vaccinated, altered, FeLV/FIV tested negative and microchipped. If you are interested in adopting this pet, you can start the process and access our pre-adoption application which is located on our website at www.startpets.net, click on Pets for Adoption then application; complete the form, and submit/send.
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In Memory
Save the Animals Rescue Team says goodbye to dear friend's
with "In Memory Donations"
Donations can be made in the name of a person that has passed in their memory.
Please use the below link to go to our " In Memory of a Loved One" Page
If you would like to leave a donation in the memory of someone that has passed, please make sure you include your name & the person's family's name and address. S.T.A.R.T. we can send our condolences to the family and send you a list of people that have made donations.
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Kitten season is always here!!!
The doors of S.T.A.R.T. are bursting open with the pitter patter of tiny feet! Or should we say paws! Save the Animals Rescue Team has many foster parents that are tending to little ones who are looking for their forever homes. While we would love nothing more than to save them all, we can only tend to so many, so every adoption allows us to save yet another life. The rescuing never ends but we can only succeed with the help and generosity of our community. What a rewarding feeling it is to say you helped to save a life!
Meet and Greets only at Petco Totowa. Our adoption events on weekends at Petco on Route 46W in Totowa from 11a-2pm are scheduled monthly. Please check out our Pets for Adoption and send us an email and we will set up an appointment.
Keep in mind that kitten season does not mean that our adults get overlooked. While the colors and the personalities of the cats may vary, the need for love does not.
All of the cats in our care are altered, up to date with their vaccinations, tested for FELV/FIV and microchipped.
Any questions, please call S.T.A.R.T. at 973-785-1245 or visit www.startpets.net!